Top 10 Infamous Celebrity Sex Scandals

We put celebrities on a pedestal and expect them to act a certain way, even in their private lives. Unfortunately, they're only human and are bound to make mistakes. But, when they screw up, the world hears about it – and rarely forgets. From Vanessa Williams' naughty pics, to Hugh Grant's outing with a Hollywood hooker, to Kim Kardashian's infamous sex tape, there are a number of celebrity sex scandals that come to mind. Some celebs emerged unscathed, while others like Tiger Woods felt more lasting effects. In this video, WatchMojo.com counts down ten of the most infamous celebrity sex scandals in recent memory.

Celebs make mistakes too. Welcome to WatchMojo.com, and today we’ll be counting down ten of the most infamous celebrity sex scandals.

#10 – Vanessa Williams

Kicking off our list is a fall from grace suffered by the first ever African-American Miss America. Williams showed she had “the right stuff” in nude photos that surfaced after the pageant, and officials pressured her to relinquish her crown. Instead of slinking off into obscurity after the pics showed up in Penthouse, Williams “saved the best for last” by coming back with a successful music and acting career.

#9 – Kim Kardashian/Paris Hilton

Had you heard of either of these women before their sex tapes? Kim showed off her curves in a tape that was leaked a few months before “Keeping Up with the Kardashians”’ 2007 debut. But Paris did it first, right before her show “The Simple Life” started in 2003. Hey, it worked: 13 million people watched its debut. Meanwhile, we’ll never look at night vision the same way again.

#8 – Hugh Grant

It’s the ‘90s. You’re a huge movie star coming off one of your most successful films. You are dating Elizabeth Hurley. And you’re caught in a public place doing a very private thing with a hooker named Divine Brown. No one really understood why Hugh Grant did this, but he was the first to admit he did a bad thing. He apologized and the public largely forgave him – end of story.

#7 – Rob Lowe

He made sex tapes before everyone made sex tapes. But, that meant it had a huge impact on his reputation. Did we mention the part about the three-way with the underage girl? To be fair, they met in a bar so you would assume she was at least 21. He later mocked himself on “Saturday Night Live” and eventually everyone forgot about it. Hey, at least it was before the internet.

#6 – Paul Reubens

Pee-Wee should probably have stayed in his playhouse the time he was arrested for *ahem* “connecting his own dots” in an adult movie theater in 1991. He managed a comeback after a few quiet years, but in 2002 police found what they claimed to be a collection of child porn at his house. Turns out, it was just a vintage pornography collection, but the damage was done.

#5 – George Michael

As the half of Wham! people cared about, George Michael hid one important fact: he was gay. Though rumors circulated for years, it wasn’t until he was caught playing “I Want Your Sex” with a cop in a Beverly Hills restroom that they were confirmed. He basically got away with a slap on the wrist from police, but the effect Michael’s “Fastlove” had on his career was more serious.

#4 – Woody Allen

He made a career of being awkward, but this was too much. Woody and Mia got together in the early ‘80s. However, their relationship ended in 1992 when Farrow found sexy pics of her adopted daughter Soon-Yi that Allen had taken. Turns out the two were in a relationship, and Woody and Soon-Yi married in 1997. We can’t even figure out what this family tree would look like…

#3 – Roman Polanski

In 1977, the 43-year-old director was arrested on charges that included rape by use of drugs and sodomy. The worst part? The girl was 13. Before he was sentenced on a lesser charge, he fled the U.S. for France and spent the next thirty years avoiding countries that would extradite him. He was almost caught in 2009 when he traveled to accept a lifetime achievement award, but Swiss police finally let him go.

#2 – Michael Jackson

Being the King of Pop had its downside: tabloid gossip that was enough to make anyone “scream.” However, MJ’s reputation was forever changed by child molestation accusations in 1993. Though his insurers settled those charges out of court, like the “Thriller” zombies they just wouldn’t die. Jackson went to trial in 2005 and was eventually acquitted of the new charges, but he was still dogged with rumors for the rest of his life.

#1 – Tiger Woods

Taking the top spot on our list is one of the furthest falls a sportsman ever suffered. Until Thanksgiving 2009, Tiger Woods was one of the most clean-cut, successful and high-earning athletes in the world. All it took was a crazy midnight car crash to unravel things: then came weeks of women stepping forward to admit they took a few swings with Tiger’s wood.